Warren DeSantis passes, age 75

Columbus, OH —With heavy hearts, the DeSantis family is saddened to announce the sudden passing of Mr. Warren P. DeSantis, 75, of Wellington, Fla., during the early morning hours of July 23, 2021.

He was born on Christmas eve in 1945 in Schenectady, N.Y., to Mr. and Mrs. Al DeSantis. He graduated from Linton High School in 1963, where he was a star basketball player and multi-recipient of the best dressed award.

Following high school, he received a basketball scholarship at the University of Miami and later graduated from Hudson Valley Community College. He was drafted into the United States Navy during the Vietnam war and was honorably discharged in 1968.

He had many incredible careers and business ventures, including a New York City bar owner and concert promoter for the likes of Bon Jovi, The New Kids on the Block, U2 and Lollapalooza, to name a few.

He worked at multiple harness racing tracks, including the Meadowlands (worked in the race office under Joe DeFrank), Red Mile and Pompano (as race secretary), and Saratoga Raceway (worked as race secretary and served as general manager).

Also, after leaving racing management, he worked for various Eric Cherry enterprises, including Cherry’s National Race Line and lottery results lines, which were required in the days before the internet.

Perhaps most of all, Warren and his family, with father Al and brother Dick, were an important part of Schenectady sports history.

Outside of his business ventures, Mr. DeSantis’ passions included telling his infamous stories, collecting wrist watches, being a clothes horse, watching basketball games as a die hard Miami Heat fan, and, most of all, his children. He was known for his sharp memory, allowing him to recall events, team rosters, style choices, game scores and winning horses — even if it happened over 50 years ago.

He had an innate ability to light up any room he walked into. His personality was infectious from the moment you met him. He had a heart of gold, he would do just about anything for anyone and he was loved by all who met him. He was also known as a “bonus Dad” to many of his children’s friends and was always there to give his expert advice, solicited or not. He also liked to slip the casual brag of how he was a beauty pageant judge, therefore he “knew women.”

He is survived by Karen, his loving wife of 37 years, and children, Darren, 32, and Kristen, 28, who is a registered nurse in Portland, Oregon. In addition to his immediate family, he is also survived by his cousin, Tommy Isabella; sister-in-law, Kelli; brother-in-law and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Ron Borella; niece, Josephine Borella; and countless friends, many of whom knew him since childhood and were inducted into the “Warren Watch Club.” He was preceded in death by his parents, Gloria Volpicelli and Albert DeSantis, former Union Star sports editor; and brothers, Patrick and Richard “RW,” former harness driver, trainer, and judge.

Funeral services will be held in Royal Palm Beach, Fla., and Schenectady, N.Y., where he will be laid to rest. The Florida funeral service will be held Friday (July 30) at Palms West Funeral Home from 4-7 p.m. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. and the service is from 6-7 p.m. Schenectady service will be held at Daly Funeral Home, date and time TBA.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like to share charities important to Warren for contributions to be made in his memory: Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady, P.O. Box 466, Schenectady, NY 12301; Wellington Community Foundation, Inc., 12794 Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 19F, Wellington, FL 33414; and Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), 10 Lake Ave., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.

From the USTA